A Pho Love Story
- Downloads：3446
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-04-28 11:51:50
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Loan Le
- ISBN：1398502677
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
All's fair in love， war and noodles 。 。 。
If Bao Nguyen had to describe himself， he’d say he was a rock。 Steady and strong， but not particularly interesting。 His grades are average， his social status unremarkable。 He works at his parents’ pho restaurant， and even there， he is his parents’ fifth favorite employee。
If Linh Mai had to describe herself， she’d say she was a firecracker。 Stable when unlit， but full of potential for joy and spark and fire。 She loves art， and she dreams of making a career of it one day。 The only problem？ Her parents rely on her in ways they’re not willing to admit， including expecting her to work practically full-time at their family’s pho restaurant。
For decades， the Mais and the Nguyens have been at odds， having owned competing， neighboring pho restaurants。 Bao and Linh have resolved never to befriend each other， for fear of pushing too far and bringing on undue heartbreak。 But when a chance encounter brings Linh and Bao closer， sparks fly 。 。 。
Can Linh and Bao’s love survive in the midst of feuding families and complicated histories？
This delicious debut is perfect for fans of When Dimple Met Rishi and To All the Boys I’ve Love Before。
If Bao Nguyen had to describe himself， he’d say he was a rock。 Steady and strong， but not particularly interesting。 His grades are average， his social status unremarkable。 He works at his parents’ pho restaurant， and even there， he is his parents’ fifth favorite employee。
If Linh Mai had to describe herself， she’d say she was a firecracker。 Stable when unlit， but full of potential for joy and spark and fire。 She loves art， and she dreams of making a career of it one day。 The only problem？ Her parents rely on her in ways they’re not willing to admit， including expecting her to work practically full-time at their family’s pho restaurant。
For decades， the Mais and the Nguyens have been at odds， having owned competing， neighboring pho restaurants。 Bao and Linh have resolved never to befriend each other， for fear of pushing too far and bringing on undue heartbreak。 But when a chance encounter brings Linh and Bao closer， sparks fly 。 。 。
Can Linh and Bao’s love survive in the midst of feuding families and complicated histories？
This delicious debut is perfect for fans of When Dimple Met Rishi and To All the Boys I’ve Love Before。
Reviews
Holly Phillips
，
This book was so sweet。。。 and made me want a bowl of vermicelli noodles！ This YA had lots of depth。 I’ll be looking for more books from Loan Le。
Suzanne
，
Adored this fun book about high school romance and battling families and restaurants。 Enchanting。 Made me very hungry！
Maria Connour
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Very cute！ Not only was the couple easy to root for， but this book was very eye opening for me。 It talked a lot about things I didn’t expect。 The main girl was frustrating at times but overall it did a good job explaining why she did what she did。 Fun plot twist too！ I recommend。
Rachel
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Strong characters and I love how it approaches cultural tensions and individual identity。
Olivie Blake
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I had to order a LOT of Vietnamese food after I finished this book so I do feel like there should be a warning label， but it’s a very charming story about family and community。 It feels like the perfect time for a story like this one about AAPI immigrants and feels very true to my own personal experience being first gen。
Kelly
，
*spoilers*I sound like a broken record with my last reviews of YA romances， but I also loved the diversity in this book！ This romance surrounds the children of competing Vietnamese restaurant owners who fall in love。 Linh loves art and painting， which goes against her parent's hopes for a stable future for their daughter。 Meanwhile， Bao doesn't know what he wants to do with his life until Linh helps him realize that writing and editing is something he's passionate about。 His parents， unlike his *spoilers*I sound like a broken record with my last reviews of YA romances， but I also loved the diversity in this book！ This romance surrounds the children of competing Vietnamese restaurant owners who fall in love。 Linh loves art and painting， which goes against her parent's hopes for a stable future for their daughter。 Meanwhile， Bao doesn't know what he wants to do with his life until Linh helps him realize that writing and editing is something he's passionate about。 His parents， unlike his other friends' parents， want Bao to find something he's passionate about and pursue it to the fullest。 This story is a cute romance for sure。 It's also a wonderful tale of two high schoolers finding their way and stumbling into their own passions。 Along the way， they learn more about their families' mysterious pasts。 I enjoyed that the story included this slight "mystery" conflict between the families and that the conflict， in the end， made sense for their families' competition。 The cover is also gorgeous。 This book was super easy to read quickly！ 。。。more
Mariam
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Bao and Linh have a really cute story of waring families， yummy food and a relationship that helps the other person grow。 I was a big fan of this book and I was invested in the characters in it！
Cookie
，
I was excited to pick up this young adult romance about two Vietnamese teenagers。 As a Vietnamese American， I would love to see more of my culture represented in romance books！ This was a cute Romeo and Juliet type of romance story about Bao and Linh。 Their parents have been competing in the restaurant business for years。 Their families have a deep hate for each other and Bao and Linh have had no interaction despite going to the same school and being the same age。 One day， when Linh is in need o I was excited to pick up this young adult romance about two Vietnamese teenagers。 As a Vietnamese American， I would love to see more of my culture represented in romance books！ This was a cute Romeo and Juliet type of romance story about Bao and Linh。 Their parents have been competing in the restaurant business for years。 Their families have a deep hate for each other and Bao and Linh have had no interaction despite going to the same school and being the same age。 One day， when Linh is in need of help， Bao helps her， and this leads to a friendship， and then later on a romance。 I thought it was sweet that Bao and Linh helped each other explore their passions and potential careers。 They have a lot of pressure from their families to become a doctor or an engineer， which is very typical for Vietnamese families。 Pursuing careers in the arts or more creative realms is frowned upon and I liked that Bao and Linh pushed each other to pursue their dreams。I appreciated the cultural representation of Vietnamese immigrant families。 I liked that Loan Le spoke to the nuanced differences even within the Vietnamese community， like the experiences of people who fled Vietnam by boat， versus those who flew here。 Le was able to capture of the spirit of Little Saigon and the vibrant Vietnamese community there。 This book stirred a lot of thoughts and emotions in me about my upbringing and culture。 It brought up some things that I experienced growing up and it made me feel nostalgic。 Overall a cute and entertaining read that also made me hungry :）⚠️: racism， war， death of a loved one 。。。more
Heidi Hilkert
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A cute YA romance with some Romeo & Juliet vibes！ Now I want Vietnamese food， stat！
Sana Mohammed
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Just a feel good YA novel。 It was so nice to read a cute love story with characters from an Asian background。 Even though I’m not Vietnamese myself I related to the characters in the book especially when it came to making your parents proud and first generation American struggles。
Carrie
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I skimmed through the last half of the book， I found it boring most of the time。
Kylie Hart
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Not a bad book but just not holding my attention。 Don't have any urge to continue reading Not a bad book but just not holding my attention。 Don't have any urge to continue reading 。。。more
Amanda Chia
，
Less of a boy- girl love story and more of how the immigrant experience shapes the way parents love their children in a profound manner。
Clea
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This book was so cute。 I really loved the characters and I loved how much it showed the families of the two main characters。 Reading this book made me crave pho so much。 I really liked this story and all the drama in the story。 I loved hearing about the family's stories from Vietnam even if they were super sad。 This book was so cute。 I really loved the characters and I loved how much it showed the families of the two main characters。 Reading this book made me crave pho so much。 I really liked this story and all the drama in the story。 I loved hearing about the family's stories from Vietnam even if they were super sad。 。。。more
GavShire
，
The story is powerful; I like how it was presented。 Good job writer！ If you have some great stories like this one， you can publish it on Novel Star， just submit your story to hardy@novelstar。top or joye@novelstar。top
tia
，
this was really cute。 it made me cry a lot， and had a really lovely story。 also pho is god tier level food for me so of course i had to pick it up。 this book was a really nice to break up all of the fantasy i’ve been reading lately。 there were so many references to specific parts of life that vietnamese americans deal with， and it was equally as heartwarming as it was heartbreaking at times。 the pressure put on these teens to fit into western society， follow their dreams， and meet their parents this was really cute。 it made me cry a lot， and had a really lovely story。 also pho is god tier level food for me so of course i had to pick it up。 this book was a really nice to break up all of the fantasy i’ve been reading lately。 there were so many references to specific parts of life that vietnamese americans deal with， and it was equally as heartwarming as it was heartbreaking at times。 the pressure put on these teens to fit into western society， follow their dreams， and meet their parents expectations all felt impossible at times。 this book finds a way to be a very light and easy read while also tackling complex issues of racism， loss， grief。 by the end i was so in love with these characters i definitely felt myself wanting to give them all a big hug。 i think it dropped a star for me just in terms of plot。 it was a very slow start， i found it hard to stay focused in the first half。 and i think there were some loose ends at the very end of the book i wish were tied up。 but overall a very good book。 。。。more
Sarah Dao
，
***DNF @ 50%***points for the Viet content and accuracy but I couldn’t care for the characters， romance， or even the plot
Vania
，
This book follows a Romeo and Juliet kind of storyline between two characters - Bao and Linh， whose families own restaurants that seem to be in constant competition with one another。I dont often pick up ya contemporary but this one caught my eye and I thought the storyline was adorable。What I wasn't expecting was the intense conversations involving being the child of immigrant parents。 A lot of the experiences/heavy loads talked about I personally have felt， so this book unexpectedly went above This book follows a Romeo and Juliet kind of storyline between two characters - Bao and Linh， whose families own restaurants that seem to be in constant competition with one another。I dont often pick up ya contemporary but this one caught my eye and I thought the storyline was adorable。What I wasn't expecting was the intense conversations involving being the child of immigrant parents。 A lot of the experiences/heavy loads talked about I personally have felt， so this book unexpectedly went above and beyond what I was expecting。 。。。more
Donnavie Balli
，
3。5 stars
Sarah ➖Goddess of Mischief➖
，
Okay， okay， I know I said I don’t like YA contemporary。 Turns out I just wasn’t reading the right YA contemporary。 I was expecting just a fluffy romance。 But （no spoilers） that was quite a tearjerker ending。 I mean， I should have expected it， Romeo-and-Juliet and all， but DAMN。 I did not see that coming。 Anyway， anyway， anyway。 This book is actually really good。 And there’s actually a lot of edge-of-your-seat intrigue in the second half。 It’s also like， super cute。 The writing was gorgeous。 Loan Okay， okay， I know I said I don’t like YA contemporary。 Turns out I just wasn’t reading the right YA contemporary。 I was expecting just a fluffy romance。 But （no spoilers） that was quite a tearjerker ending。 I mean， I should have expected it， Romeo-and-Juliet and all， but DAMN。 I did not see that coming。 Anyway， anyway， anyway。 This book is actually really good。 And there’s actually a lot of edge-of-your-seat intrigue in the second half。 It’s also like， super cute。 The writing was gorgeous。 Loan Le has an incredible voice。 And also， Got Dayum that cover is adorable。 *sighs* I just need to read more diverse YA contemporary， don’t I？ *everyone nods* 。。。more
Judith
，
8th grade and up: A sweet and innocent love story that has a family secret lurking in the background。
Sydney
，
DNF for me。 About 100 pages in， I was bored and the story was overwhelmed by too much teenage angst。
Courtney Macfarlane
，
I have quite the soft spot for media that involves a family business， especially if the characters grew up surrounded by it - so early on I had a feeling I would really enjoy this story although I didn't know that I would be crying happy tears by the end of it。 I did struggle in the beginning because I wasn't sure if I should translate all of the Vietnamese phrases and words that were used in the story， I decided that if I couldn't gather what was being said by context clues or there wasn't real I have quite the soft spot for media that involves a family business， especially if the characters grew up surrounded by it - so early on I had a feeling I would really enjoy this story although I didn't know that I would be crying happy tears by the end of it。 I did struggle in the beginning because I wasn't sure if I should translate all of the Vietnamese phrases and words that were used in the story， I decided that if I couldn't gather what was being said by context clues or there wasn't really a translation in the text that I would just bring out my phone and get the translate app going and that worked perfectly fine for me！ I actually found the use of Vietnamese phrases brought me more into the world and made the story that much richer。I think I only have one real "criticism" of this novel - I found that sometimes I couldn't really tell the difference between the voices of the two main characters， I often had to go back and check who was narrating the current chapter。I do， however， wish I could have learned just a little bit more about the woman that Bao refers to as "The General" 。。。 I feel like she would have really juicy stories about EVERYONE。 。。。more
Eeva
，
I think I have found one of my favourite plot lines in books。 Warring restaurants where the two kids fall in love and the whole reason for the rivalry is because of stuff that happened in the past with their parents。This book and Tweet Cute are so freaking cute that I was smiling almost throughout。I loved all the characters in this。 Bảo and Linh and Việt and Allison。 They all seemed so real and likeable with their passions and quirks。 All of their relationships with each other was funny and swee I think I have found one of my favourite plot lines in books。 Warring restaurants where the two kids fall in love and the whole reason for the rivalry is because of stuff that happened in the past with their parents。This book and Tweet Cute are so freaking cute that I was smiling almost throughout。I loved all the characters in this。 Bảo and Linh and Việt and Allison。 They all seemed so real and likeable with their passions and quirks。 All of their relationships with each other was funny and sweet。 Bảo and Linh bonding over their shared restaurant kid experience was really cute。 I think Việt was my favourite character though。 He seemed so chill。The family's rivalries was also super interesting。 I liked how it was explained and what actually happened in Vietnam。 It all ended out really nicely。 。。。more
Awwwtrouble
，
I don't know what's happened - after reading a ton all of last year I'm finding myself just not as into reading lately - difficult to concentrate， lack of interest。 I was telling someone the other day it's all just worn me down - while I'm so grateful libraries are open for putting books on hold， there's something about how the books come in that just hasn't worked for me lately。 I'm getting the books I don't care about， or books in an order that doesn't quite work， or I'm just not into books I I don't know what's happened - after reading a ton all of last year I'm finding myself just not as into reading lately - difficult to concentrate， lack of interest。 I was telling someone the other day it's all just worn me down - while I'm so grateful libraries are open for putting books on hold， there's something about how the books come in that just hasn't worked for me lately。 I'm getting the books I don't care about， or books in an order that doesn't quite work， or I'm just not into books I put on hold months ago - I don't know。 So I put down the books I was struggling through， skipped over ones I've gotten that have other holds and thus need to go back soon， and decided to just go light and easy。 This is actually a YA book in the vein of Jenny Han， and it's light and sweet with a bittersweet back story。 Each chapter is told in alternating viewpoints， and it's not quite perfect - it was hard to get into the start。 But always nice ot read something diverse that's also universal。 I'm not quite sure the mystery at the heart of this was solved realistically， but overall a sweet story。 。。。more
Tiffany
，
3。5 rounded up。
Anshita Mehrotra
，
This was so much more than just a book about love！ Ah， the FOOD， this book has made me crave pho like craaaazy！ Not only that， as a kid of asian parents myself， the slow but accurate struggle both Linh and Bao faced is so important in this book， its a true representation of asian culture and how much it differs in the smallest ways for an immigrant family living the ‘’American dream’’。
maitane
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 4。5/5 — This was SO good？？ I loved it a lot。 This was the first time I was reading a book with a very different culture than mine （though， the main character's story as teenagers with entrepeneur parents was very relatable） and it was just such a beautiful journey。 The writing style， the story， the character，。。。 so good， so good。I have this theory that Cam never died， survived and Chef Lê is Bảo's cousin。 But I guess we'll never know and that it's actually very smart from the author， leaving the 4。5/5 — This was SO good？？ I loved it a lot。 This was the first time I was reading a book with a very different culture than mine （though， the main character's story as teenagers with entrepeneur parents was very relatable） and it was just such a beautiful journey。 The writing style， the story， the character，。。。 so good， so good。I have this theory that Cam never died， survived and Chef Lê is Bảo's cousin。 But I guess we'll never know and that it's actually very smart from the author， leaving the question up in the air。 。。。more
Liz
，
3。8 stars。 A cute story
Paloma
，
2。5！ idk no cumplió y it missed the mark🤭
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=A Pho Love Story
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=A Pho Love Story&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,A Pho Love Story&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0